>Leonardo,

>What do you usually use?

I usually use a rental car.

I think driving your own (or rented) car is by far the smoothest and most enjoyable mean of transportation. Unless a country is well known for its gangs of criminals waiting for tourists to pass by so they can play Jack the ripper or take their money and life,I think it's always worth spending the extra money a car will cost you.You can decide when to leave and when to arrive,and how much distance you want to cover on that particular day.You can decide where and when to stop,and how long your lunch stop or sightseeing stop is gonna last. I find that more than a few members of this list seem rather shy when it comes to driving in Europe,and many are very interested in trains.Now,it's maybe because I'm not familiar with foreign trains,that it would never cross my mind to travel by train.Or maybe it's because italian trains are reputed not to be very dependable or comfortable. But I find the convenience of having your own car is unvaluable. Does the average northamerican think that european roads,or european drivers are so dangerous?Maybe one can have some doubt about places like Turkey or farther east,but,friends,we are talking of Portugal,or Italy,or France!I don't want to be rude,it's only that I can't understand how people from a country like the U.S.,where everything is designed around a car-driving consumer(it's often said that some cities like Los Angeles can only be visited by car),tend so often to exclude the idea of driving a rented car when abroad.

If this issue is of some interest to some of you fellow Ziners,I'd like to know your opinion and your experience.

A Friendly Ciao

Leonardo